Most of the radio frequency spectrum is unevenly used. For example, cellular bands are overcrowded, but paging frequencies are underutilized. Increasing wireless communication demands are constrained by this inefficient use of the spectrum. This can extend to other than wireless communications. Any multifrequency system could benefit.
Efforts to increase efficiency have the potential to alleviate these problems. The practical objective is to fill empty bands and relieve crowded ones. Applications of this technology include secondary usage of the digital television (DTV) broadcasting bands for voice, video and data communications and cognitive radio.
For example, in May 2004, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced in a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) 04-113[3] exploring the use of unlicensed wireless operation in the television (TV) broadcasting bands. In response to this NPRM (and proceedings leading up to it), the IEEE 802 LAN/MAN Standards committee created the 802.22 working group (WG) on wireless regional area networks (WRAN) with a cognitive radio-based air interface for use by license-exempt devices on a non-interfering basis in VHF and UHF (54-862 MHz) bands. Hence, in case there are no incumbent signals (TV, wireless microphones etc.) using a particular channel or a band of spectrum, then WRAN devices may use these bands or channels for communications.
Spectrum sensing is a term applied to techniques used for finding unused temporal or spectral ‘holes’ by detecting, identifying and/or classifying the primary user signals. Spectrum sensing helps to achieve the goal of more efficiently using the radio spectrum.
There are many broad categories of spectrum sensing: transmitter detection using a single sensor, cooperative detection using multiple sensors, space time spectrum sensing using an antenna array, etc.
A function (hardware, software or firmware) that carries out the operation of spectrum sensing is termed as the Spectrum Sensing Function (S SF).
Various IEEE Standardization activities dealing with Cognitive Radio and Co-Existence of wireless systems are concerned with spectrum sensing. In particular, the IEEE 802.22/IEEE 802.16h and P1900 Standards Committee (now IEEE SCC 41 Group).
Known work discusses signal detection in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) using higher-order statistics (HOS) as qualifiers, as is disclosed in B. M. Sadler, G. B. Giannakis, and K. S. Lii, “Estimation and Detection in NonGaussian Noise Using Higher Order Statistics,” IEEE Trans. Signal Processing, vol. 42, no. 10, pp. 2729 {2741, October 1994; and G. B. Giannakis and M. Tsatsanis, “A Unifying Maximum-Likelihood View of Cumulant and Polyspectral Measures for Non-Gaussian Signal Classification and Estimation,” IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 386-406, March 1992. It is also known that the higher-order cumulants for a Gaussian process are zero, as is disclosed in K. S. Shanmugan and A. M. Breipohl, “Random Signals: Detection, Estimation and Data Analysis,” John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1988; J. M. Mendel, “Tutorial on Higher-Order Statistics (Spectra) in Signal Processing and Systems Theory: Theoretical Results and Some Applications,” IEEE Trans. Signal Processing, vol. 79, no. 3, pp. 278-305, March 1991; and C. L. Nikias and J. M. Mendel, “Signal Processing with Higher-Order Spectra,” IEEE J. Select. Areas Commun., pp. 10-37, July 1993, the contents all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The drive toward miniaturization and low power consumption in communication systems creates a demand for simpler, more efficient, solutions. Current approaches can be complex and difficult to implement. A need, therefore, exists for methods and systems that can accommodate the constraints of today's communication systems.
Furthermore, detection of a broad class of signals heavily buried in noise is a major challenge. For example, IEEE 802.22 standard requires a spectrum sensing function to detect television signals accurately at a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of −21 decibels (dB). In situations such as this, the noise power is roughly 100 times greater than the signal power. Accurate detection of signals in such disadvantaged conditions is a major challenge. This application's method is capable of detecting signals accurately and efficiently at low SNRs.
The FCC also mandates the protection of approved Part 74 devices such as the wireless microphones in the VHF and UHF frequency bands. Because wireless microphones operate with lower bandwidth, lower power, and anywhere in a TV channel, they are difficult to detect and protect. To facilitate their detection, a beacon signal will be constantly transmitted from specialized devices that will accompany the wireless microphone base stations. These beacon signals consist of repeated pseudo noise (PN) sequences and have a bandwidth of approximately 78 kHz with the center frequency at approximately the same location as that of the Advanced Television Systems Committee-Digital Television (ATSC-DTV) pilot signal of the channel currently occupied by the wireless microphone. This technique is capable of detecting such beacon signals accurately and efficiently at low SNRs.